1. Training with the Techs: Importing Items into Perception
Presented by:
Wes Cloven

2. Importing Question Banks
Perception can import files from several sources
ASCII Import
Word Templates
QML
QTI XML
Questionmark Scripted Importer (QSI)

3. ASCII Import
By using markers you can prepare a text or word processor file containing questions to be imported.
The markers used can be fully customized.
A bulleted list or outline can be defined in your word processor to simplify adding the markers.
The following question types can be imported:
Multiple Choice
Multiple Response
Explanation

4. ASCII Import
From the Tools - Options menu, you can select and modify the ASCII import codes.

5. ASCII Import
Once we have our markers set, we can add them to our questions.
1. How many states share a border with Missouri?
a. Twelve
b. Six
c. Eight
d. Seven
e. Five
2. Who was the sixteenth President of the United States?
a. Cy Rabinowitz
b. Abraham Lincoln
c. Gerald Ford
d. Millard Fillmore
e. Franklin Pierce

6. ASCII Import
Markers are case sensitive and must always be in the left column
<Q>How many states share a border with Missouri?
<D>Shared border
<C>Twelve
<F>No, the correct answer is eight
<C>Six
<C+>Eight
<F>That's correct!
<C>Seven
<C>Five

7. ASCII Import
<Q>Who was the sixteenth President of the United States?
<D>President
<C>Cy Rabinowitz
<F>Wrong. It was Abraham Lincoln.
<C+>Abraham Lincoln
<F>Your answer is correct!
<C>Gerald Ford
<C>Millard Fillmore
<C>Franklin Pierce

8. ASCII Import Other items than can be added to the text file
Comments can be added
<#> This is a comment and will not be imported
Shuffling of choices can be turned on or off
<S> Y
The question type can be designated
<T> MC
<T> MR
The text type can be specified
<M> text/html
<M> text/plain

9. ASCII Import
You can define bullets in a word processor to ease the task of adding the markers
The document must be saved as plain text prior to importing into Authoring Manager
See resources at the end of the presentation for more information

10. ASCII Import
Once the file is marked and saved as a standard text file, we can import it into Authoring Manager

11. ASCII Import

12. ASCII Import
Demonstrate importing an ASCII file

13. Word Authoring Templates
Questionmark Word Authoring Templates allow questions to be created for Perception quickly and easily using Microsoft® Word
The types of question you can create are:
Multiple Choice In a Multiple Choice question, the participant selects an answer from a list of two or more possible answers
True/False In a True/False question, the participant selects either ‘True’ or ‘False’
Yes/No In a Yes/No question, the participant selects either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

14. Word Authoring Templates
Question Authors create questions and save them to a Word document

15. Word Authoring Templates
Question Administrators publish the questions to a Perception database where they can be used like other questions.

16. Word Authoring Templates

17. Word Authoring Templates

18. Word Authoring Templates

19. Word Authoring Templates

20. Word Authoring Templates
Demonstrate using Questionmark Word Authoring Templates

21. QML
Question Markup Language (QML) is the format that Perception uses to represent questions.
QML is defined by Questionmark and is XML compliant
All questions are stored in the database as QML
QML can be exported and imported from Authoring Manager

22. QML Some key features of QML are:
Only individual questions are described (Assessments are not defined)
Each question is independent of any other
Sequencing of questions (for example, branching, jumps and selection of questions at random for a test) is outside the scope of QML
Several questions may be defined in the same QML file
There is no link or interdependence between different questions

23. QML A QML question is divided into four components:
The question header, information identifying the question (for example its description and the topic it is in).
The question body, all the material presented, or made available, to the participant.
The question choice(s), the different responses made available to the participant
The outcome of the question, what score to set and what feedback to display depending on the choice(s) selected. All possible combinations of choices are mapped to a fixed number of outcomes, including (optionally) a default outcome which will apply if none of the other outcomes are valid.
<QUESTION>
<CONTENT>
Some content…
</CONTENT>
<ANSWER>
<CHOICE>
</CHOICE>
</ANSWER>
<OUTCOME>
</OUTCOME>
</QUESTION>

24. QTI XML
QTI XML is a platform and vendor independent language developed by the IMS
The IMS is an international organization which aims to create agreed specifications and standards for teaching and learning.
One of their principle areas of work is in Question and Test Interoperability
QTI XML is a specification for an XML test and question description language

25. QTI XML
QTI XML can make it easy to get questions from one software package to another
The following question types are supported
Multiple Choice
Multiple Response
Numeric
Pull-down list
Fill in Blanks, Matrix
Essay
Java
Matching
Ranking
Select a Blank
Macromedia Flash

26. QTI XML
Currently Perception supports version 1.2 of the IMS QTI specification
Only items (questions) in QTI XML can be imported / exported at this time
Functionality
Level of Support
Data File
Import
Export
Repackage
Explanation of optional functionality supported
Assessment level element support
Mandatory N
Section level element support
Item level element support Y
Response types
response_num, response_lid, response_xy, response_str
Material
text/plain, text/html, text/mathml, image
Scoring
Default scoring model only (SumofScores)
Feedback
Candidate view for all item feedback

27. QSI Question Scripted Importer (QSI)
allows you to convert complex but structured ASCII text format to a Questionmark import file
performed by referencing a powerful scripting language
intended for users that have items (questions) in other database structures and wish to import these into Questionmark Perception
The input file can be produced by printing to a file, or exporting from an existing database
QSI is provided with example scripts and most programmers will be able to produce derivative, and/or new scripts
Questionmark does provide a script writing service for a fee which depends upon the complexity of the input file.

28. QSI QSI converts an ASCII file into a QML file
Conversion method can be either:
all questions in the source must be separated by the same delimiter (CSV)
or the data must be in a fixed record format where all questions are exactly the same length

29. QSI
A .qmscript file tells the QSI how the source data is formatted and how to perform the conversion
question content in a spread-sheet or database file will need to be exported to a text file

30. QSI
Once you have your source file and .qmscript file the process of converting your source to QML is simple
a debug window that will help you monitor the progress of your conversion is available by pressing Shift+Alt+D

31. QSI All documentation for using QSI is included with the download
QSI can be downloaded from our Communities Downloads section under “Add-ons”

32. Resources ASCII Import QTI XML
I already have questions in word-processor format. How do I bring them into Perception?
How can I use bullets in a word processed document to aid the importing of questions into Question Manager?
QTI XML
Can I use QTI XML with Perception?
IMS Question & Test Interoperability Specification

33. Resources
QML
What is Question Markup Language (QML)?
QSI
Downloaded from Communities

34. Thank You for Your Attention
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